Neal Allen

The world lost a wonderful man when Neal  M. Allen passed away at the age of 88 Sunday January 23, 2022.

He was in the loving company of his two daughters and son-in-law and, thanks to Compassus Hospice, was not in pain when he left us. Anyone who knew Neal knows what a kind, smart and generous person he was. His death has left a huge hole in our hearts and lives. Neal was quiet but had a great, and very dry, sense of humor. He was a voracious reader (including his daily Wall Street Journal), loved history; he was fascinated by railroads and, until 1997, when he auctioned off his stamp collection and was an avid philatelist.

Neal was born in Queens, New York. He lived in, and attended public schools in, New York and New Jersey until 1949 when his family moved to Syracuse, New York, and he transferred to a private military school called Manlius. He completed high school and graduated from Manlius in June of 1951. He earned an NROTC scholarship, which allowed him to enroll in Dartmouth in September of 1951. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1955, and served in the Navy for three years and discharged from active duty in 1958 with the rank of Junior Lieutenant.

He spent another five years in the reserve and, in 1963, discharged as a Full Lieutenant. After completing active duty, he moved to New York City and took a job as a trainee in the Trust Investment Department at New York Trust Company. Neal met his wife, Joan Audrey Wheaton, while at a piano bar in New York City. They married April 4, 1959, and lived in New York City until 1961 when they moved to Westfield, New Jersey.

He completed his M.B.A. at New York University in 1962. In 1969, he received a promotion to Vice President of the Trust Investment Department of Chemical Bank. Over time, he became disillusioned with the commute from New Jersey into New York City and began looking for opportunities outside the city. In 1972, he accepted a position in Atlanta as Vice President at Citizens & Southern Investment Counseling; a subsidiary of C&S Bank.

Neal and Joan built a home in the Indian Hills subdivision in Cobb County, Georgia, where they lived for 40 years before moving a few miles away in 2013 to Sterling Estates. In December of 1978, Neal was one of nine employees who purchased the Institutional Money Management business from C&S Bank and founded Invesco Capital Management. This involved a lot of work and risk but proved to be a very successful venture, one he loved. Even after retiring from Invesco in 1992, he continued to be involved in investments; including weekly investment luncheons and discussing with his friends in AA and at Sterling.

Neal had a large, and diverse, group of friends that he met over the years through his investment and philanthropic work, AA, Sterling Estates and at his lake house in Blue Ridge.

Neal was a member of the AA program and celebrated 41 years of sobriety November 19, 2021. Neal is preceded in death by his wife, Joan W. Allen (2014); his parents, Doris (1933) and Paul Allen (1948); his stepbrother; Robert S. Weekes; and his brother, Paul Weekes.

Surviving him are his daughters, Tracy Allen (Phillip Daw) and Elena Cass; his granddaughters, McKala and Camryn Cass; his brother Robert Weekes; his nephews and niece, Jim Wheaton, Beth Wolfe, Justin Weekes and Jonathan Weekes; and the countless friends that he has met over the years.

Per Neal’s wishes, a celebration of life party is to be held, Monday April 4, 2022, in the Arctic Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The family hopes that everyone will be able to come and join them in remembering and celebrating his life. Bring your fond memories, funny stories and appetite – it will be a wonderful chance to gather and reminisce about him.  Everyone will miss this kind and wonderful man.

Neal was incredibly generous and donated to many charities. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to one of the many charitable organizations that he supported over the years. Listed are three that were close to his heart: the Humane Society of Blue Ridge (HSBR) at hsbr.kindful.com/?campaign=1179600 or HSBR, PO Box 2126, Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513; Children’s Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA) at give.choa.org/nealallen or mailed to CHOA, Attn: Latrice Clark Jordan, 1575 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; or to the Georgia/South Carolina Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)at jdrfgeorgiasouthcarolina.ejoinme.org/NealAllen.